Holst's treatment of the planets focuses on the astrological aspects. In spite of it the whole score has become a modern classic, often performed in a pops and cosmological setting. Most notable is its use in the movie, "Star Wars." The suite opens with a portrait of "Mars, the Bringer of War." The movements that follow are "Venus, the Bringer of Peace," "Mercury, the Winged Messenger," "Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity," "Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age," "Uranus, the Magician" and "Neptune, The Mystic." The recording is breathtaking with extraordinary inner detail. The string tone is natural, as is the timbre of winds and high percussion. Conductor André Previn and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra have performed splendidly.
The pieces that interested me are Mars, Uranus and Neptune. Mars is characterized by the troubled strings and winds weave a creeping, suspenseful melody, warm horns bring dynamic and tense lines, churning to a hair-raising climax. In Uranus, grand horns weave a bombastic theme, percussion adds dynamic accents, and the churning melody builds with an industrious tension. The whirling strings erupt into a dark gypsy dance. Finally, a lonely wind melody slowly builds with a mysterious and lost vibe, swirling with a humid pressure. A mysterious chorus adds a frighteningly dark edge in the movement of Neptune.
The pieces that interested me are Mars, Uranus and Neptune. Mars is characterized by the troubled strings and winds weave a creeping, suspenseful melody, warm horns bring dynamic and tense lines, churning to a hair-raising climax. In Uranus, grand horns weave a bombastic theme, percussion adds dynamic accents, and the churning melody builds with an industrious tension. The whirling strings erupt into a dark gypsy dance. Finally, a lonely wind melody slowly builds with a mysterious and lost vibe, swirling with a humid pressure. A mysterious chorus adds a frighteningly dark edge in the movement of Neptune.
Reference: Gustav Holst: The Planets, Op 32
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